Permaculture Out West

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Werribee Park Heritage Orchard is holding  a grafting day this Saturday, 17th July from 10am to 2pm.

Enter at gate 2, (the main gate) then follow signs down to grafting shed.

• Watch grafting demonstrations by Pete the Permie and others.
• There will be tours of the orchard
• Dress appropriately, sturdy shoes etc.
• Bring lunch and drinks, there is hot water on-site.

For further information, contact Richard Hawkey: 0428 329 450

To see a map, click here

For more information about Werribbee Park Heritage Orchard or to subscribe to the WPHO newsletter, visit http://www.my-book-cafe.com/newsletter.html

We have finally received official notification that Council will be voting on what to do with the Maidstone Community Hall this Tuesday 20th July.  The meeting is open to the public and it would be good to have  strong showing of POW supporters. It starts at 7pm. The Agenda for the meeting, including the Officer’s Report and Recommendation for the site will be available at www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au from Friday 16th July. Please click on a link below to see the official letter from Council. Thank you.

letter re council meeting 20 july 2010

Location: Maidstone Community Centre, 21 Yardley St, Maidstone.

A letter from Janet Rice, Electorate Officer, Colleen Hartland MLC, Member for Western Metropolitan (attachments not included – please contact Colleen Hartland’s office for copies of these).

Hi,

Thanks for your interest in taking action about the C90 Footscray Planning
Scheme amendment. I held a jam packed meeting last night in my office -
approximately 40 people attended and at least another 15 emailed in their
apologies. Thanks to everyone that was able to make it at such short notice

We are extremely concerned about the amendment – the excessive heights
being proposed in the Footscray CAD, the changes in residential areas
proposed, and the removal of the requirement to notify neighbouring
properties, and the rights to appeal against developments at VCAT- even
when the developments don’t meet the proposed guidelines!

I have attached all the documents that were distributed last night:
an information sheet summarising what we see as the main concerns with
the amendment
the report that Maribyrnong Council considered on Tuesday night when
they resolved to oppose aspects of the Amendment
the map of height limits from the Footscray Strategic Planning Framework
the map of height limits as adopted by Maribyrnong Council in 2006

The important thing now is that you get your submission in by Monday, to
Planning Panels Victoria, Level 1, 8 Nicholson St, East Melbourne.

It doesn’t have to be a thesis – it can just be a paragraph on the issues
that you are most concerned about.

If you aren’t able to get your submission in the post tomorrow then you can
either email it to Colleen at colleen.hartland@parliament.vic.gov.au by
11am Monday and we will print out your submission and deliver it into the
city by the end of the day, or you can drop it off at our office at 75
Victoria St, Seddon (also by 11am).

We can also print off copies of this information for you to distribute to
your street. If you would like us to do this for you, please reply to this
email and you can drop in tomorrow to pick up the materials, and get them
out to people asap, in time for them to do a submission by Monday morning
to email or drop off to Colleen.

Thanks again for your interest,

Janet

9689 6373
0439 363 846
janet.rice@parliament.vic.gov.au
http://mps.vic.greens.org.au

Last month POW received a call from a council officer in charge of writing a report regarding the old Maidstone Community Hall. We were not permitted to see the full report. However, we understand that it covered various options open to council regarding the site, one of which was leasing it at a peppercorn rent to a community consortium of which POW would be part. At least one other option was a commercially run community service.

The report was to be addressed by Council at its general meeting earlier this month. But we understand it has been postponed, we think until July.

POW is concerned that a commercially run community service on the site would require substantial development on the site and would be against the spirit of Council’s decision to keep the land for the community and we have been urging our members and supporters to write to the Councilors expressing their views.

Please be aware however, that the Councilors did not request this report. It has been put before them by the officers, for reasons not fully understood by POW. At this stage, therefore, we have no reason to suspect the Councilors are backing away from their earlier decision.

We will keep you posted about Council’s decision

It’s been a busy few months for all of us at POW, but we’ve finally got around to planning a thank you social event for all of you who helped us keep Maidstone Public Hall in community hands. We’ve also just been asked by council to have some input in to how they might best use the site in future, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to hear from the locals. As things stand, Council has not decided what to do with the land. Our submission still stands, but if you have any other ideas for the site or if you’d just like to express what’s most important for you, then come along and have a chat. We’d love to see you.
When: Wed 26th May, 6pm
Where: Maidstone Community Centre, 21 Yardley St Maidstone
What: Dinner and drinks – please bring a plate and whatever you wish to drink

Please RSVP to info@pow.org.au

POW ordinary meeting
28th April 2010
6:00 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Location: Maidstone Community Centre, 21 Yardley St, Maidstone.

6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Socialise
6:30 p.m. – 6:35 p.m. Introduction,
• Apologies – Nyree, Delia, Deb, Mel
• Present – Ann, Angela, Kat, Scott, De Chantal, Phillip,
6:35 p.m. – 6.45p.m. PcM related update
– next meeting? Who will go? Meeting & PIE submission roster?
Action from last meeting – Met to email PcM re dates of upcoming meetings and for PIE submissions?
• PcM didn’t give sufficient notice. We will try to attend, but really need more notice. Would like a number of dates in advance, so we can set up a roster.
• PIE submissions – closing date for submissions is in the previous edition
• Anything that is written for other purposes, should be sent to nyree to see if it could also go to PIE
• We will put together a quarterly roster for submissions. The person submittion is responsible for establishing relevant deadline.
• ACTION: Email PcM re need for meeting dates in advance. Write up meeting and submission roster (Kat to discuss with Mel)
6:45-7:50 Convenor update. Role of convenor was to be discussed at exec meeting and role reallocated?
• At exec meeting, Convenor role was split between deb, mel and scott – deb check email, mel is doing admin and organizations side and membership. Scott PR, HR, complaints, questions. If there’s an admin question, contact Mel. If there’s a permaculture question, ask Scott.
• ACTION: kat clarify with mel who is doing membership
6:50 p.m. – 7:05p.m. Exec meeting summary and adoption of anything needing adoption
• Exec meeting was on 21st
• Basically, it was decided to cut key events by half – meeting, blitz and workshop every second month instead of monthly. Dates are in minutes from Exect meeting.
• Mailing list – see minutes from meeting. Kat also raised that it might be best if one person was responsible for uploading info on website, so that the digest always followed same structure and format. De Chantal is happy to do this
• De asked for more photos on website
• Generally agreed we need more info about POW and what we do as discussed at exec meeting
• Perhaps a website task force to discuss with deb when she has more time
• Conscious that we don’t want to load up Deb with too much work. Ann is keen to learn more about web design and would be happy to assist.
• Blitzes – see minutes of exec. We are booked out for rest of year.

7:00 p.m. – 7.05p.m. Maidstone update – social event
• success – saved site, but not for our market garden. Sarah Carter was very impressed by POW. Maidstone community was really happy and wants to have a social event with POW.
• Social event can be at Maidstone. We can bring alcohol, but not provide it.
• ACTION: Kat send Scott tentative dates to make a booking.

7:05 p.m. – 7:10p.m. Permaplaygroup update
• Both are firing on all cylinders. Both models appear to be working.
• Hobsons Bay? – De has contacted them, but not heard back.
• ACTION:; De to follow up with H Bay
• There is now something on POW website about playgroups
• De is in process of getting permission to put photos up and Delia is writing a package to put up on site.
• Process to seed a group is to contact De then come along to each group to see how it works. Then de can give them what they need to do set up themselves.
• Would be good to put an ad on the permablitz site and give something to PIE – De to follow this up.
7:10 p.m. – 7:15p.m. Blitzes update
* angela wanted to know when we will find out about LMW blitz – will be on website
7:15 p.m. – 7.20p.m. Workshops update
• Actions from last month – Mel to contact joel meadows to see if he will do course on permaculture architecture – too busy.
• Mexican cooking workshop? Not discussed
• We have workshops for rest of year listed in exec meetings.
• Angela suggested doing her workshop for her blitz prior to the blitz. Will discuss when organizing the blitz
• Kat chase sourdough person. Scott happy to show how to make a batch of beer, but is using a kit.
• Architecture one would be good for next year.
• When we get enough bottles, we’ll do an informal session at Kat and Joel’s. Joel email Scott to discuss.
7:20 p.m.-7:25 p.m. Project proposal application update – Candice
• what’s next
• project officer?
• Candice not present. Deferred until later
7:25 p.m. – 7:30p.m. Membership Drive & Freebies offered
• Action from previous meeting: list or what we offer and how to track new members – Kat to follow up with Mel
• Have all new members received their freebies so far? – Kat check with mel
7:30 p.m. – 7:35p.m. Werribee Mansion Heritage Orchard update– Richard/Scott
• Scott met with Werribbee mantion yesterday
• Chris pattern and harry van morse from werribee eco centre have done a great job sorting out paper work
• Had a meeting with parks Victoria. They will fence of area with rabbit proof fence.
• Governance issues are being sorted out
• Will order 300 root stock when Richard gets back, which parks Victoria will pay for.
• Still working out water – probably 20,000 litre tanks and reclaimed water from sewage system diluted with rain water
• No shed on site.
• June or july official opening. Grafting workshop july 17th. All trees off site will be registered on a database. Idea is to preserve varieties by getting them out there cheaply.
• Tentative date for public meeting to announce it. – 27th may at pavilion at mansion.
• Entrance to mansion gardens is now free.
7:35-8:00 Other
• Social gathering? – Candice at lentil as anything. Confirm email date. Beer session – joel to email scott re date. Maidstone – kat to email scott re dates., solstice at LMW with de’s quartet. Saturday 19th June. Fire sculpture by angela. Combine with working bee? Kat to talk to srebrenka.
• Olives? – missed the boat.
• LMW committee – Kat and Nyree have been nominated for LMW committee. Have requested and been given permission to be POW reps.
• Update on inner north permaculture group? Ideas on how we link in other than just as a branch of PcM? – at this stage just keep in touch. Mel is in touch with Kate already and De has volunteered to be official liaison. Invite to social events etc. Should have official contact person with responsibility to distribute info.
• ACTION: check with Mel current situation and arrange for De to be contact
8:00 p.m. Close meeting

This coming Tuesday, Council will decide on our proposal to save from sale the old Maidstone community hall site in Thompson St. Please come and show your support. Tuesday 16th March, 7pm Council chamber, corner Hyde and Napier Sts. There will be opportunity to ask councillors questions at the beginning of the meeting, so please be on time and bring a pertinent question.

The agenda for the meeting, including the officer’s recommendation to council can be viewed from Friday 12th March at www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au. Councillor’s email addresses can also be found on the Council website. They’d love to hear your thoughts on the officer’s report when it is published.

Details of our submission can be found here.

POW ordinary meeting

24th February 2010

6:00 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Location: Maidstone Community Centre, 21 Yardley St, Maidstone.

POW’s first general meeting for the year will be held at Maidstone Community Centre in Yardley St, Maidstone at 6pm on Wednesday 24th February. We’d love to see some new faces – especially if you’re considering becoming more involved with POW and our activities. We have a range of exciting projects we want to get going in the West this year and we will need lots of motivated people to work on them, so come along and meet with us next week to see how you might get more involved!